Apparently all the cool kids are putting out newsletters nowadays. Not that I'm feeling the need to be cool, but I am feeling pressure from all the marketing gurus that say I must generate a newsletter. So guess who I'm taking along on the adventure? Yep. You, lucky dog! After a fair amount of research, I discovered the essentials of what goes into a successful mailing . . .

Short Nuggets of Info
No one has time to read lengthy emails. Make your content punchy and interesting. Author Anne Friedman always lists what her most recent release is, what she's currently reading, and an animated gif. Limit yourself to 2 or 3 important items.

Consistency
To make your brand recognizable, keep the format of the newsletter the same each time. Content should be easy to scan and digest with a sweep of the eyes.

Provide Value
Think about what information you can provide to a reader that he will think is valuable. This can be anything from a recipe to a short how-to.

Links
Embed 2 or 3 links for people to click on--and not just for your books that you want to sell. Share the love of other sites that you enjoy.

Serialize
Hey, this worked for Dickens so why not for you? Leave your reader with a cliffhanger of some sort so that by the next time you send a newsletter he's dying to open it.

Be Original
Don't make your newsletter a copy of your blog (or anyone else's for that matter). Put up fresh content in your mailing.

Now that you know what goes into a newsletter, the next question is why. Why go to all the effort of writing and sending out one more piece of your soul into the white noise of the clamoring world? Stay tuned. You'll learn the benefits of author newsletters tomorrow.